President Nana Addo Dankwa has eloquently elucidated the legacy of the Prime Minister of the Second Republic, Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia, describing him as a farsighted political figure.
According to the President, through his father he experienced the excellent leadership skills, vision for development, and sacrifices Prof. Busia made toward the creation of a free and democratic Ghana.
“I dare say our nation, and indeed Africa, has not seen a more farsighted political figure than Prof. Kofi Abrefa Busia,” the President remarked.
President Akufo-Addo was speaking on Monday, August 29, 2022, in Accra, at an event to celebrate the legacy of Prof. Busia, which event also launched an audiobook on the legacy of the late Prime Minister.
The gathering commemorated the 109th Anniversary of his birth; the 44th Anniversary of his death; and the 53rd Anniversary of the famous victory of the Progress Party he led in the 1969 General Elections.
In his remarks as the Special Guest, President Akufo-Addo observed that, while opponents of Prof. Busia were fearful of individual freedom as a potentially unbridled licence for adversity and distraction, Prof. Busia viewed it as a great allay of progress.
He added that Prof. Busia believed strongly in the role the State could play to enhance individuals’ freedoms effectively.
According to the President, the overthrow of Prof. Busia in the Second Republic meant that the country was deprived off the full impact of his agenda for development, as evidence abound that Ghana turned out poorer for it.
He pointed out, for imagination, where Ghana would have been now if Prof. Busia had been permitted to develop his visionary programme for rural development.
President Akufo-Addo was of the view, which he espoused in his address, that some of the ills of contemporary Ghana, such as rural-urban migration, could have been avoided.
ONE-PARTY STATE
President Akufo-Addo recalled that Prof. Busia’s emergence on the political scene of the country coincided with the period when one-party state ideologies were dominant on the continent and appeared to be more appealing and relevant to developing countries.
However, this position, Prof. Busia did not agree to, arguing strongly against the post-colonial myth in his book, ‘The Challenge of Africa’, that multiparty democracy was a luxurious western concept alien to African culture.
This myth, according to the President’s narration of the book, written in 1962, was propounded “with convenient ease” by most African fourth generation leaders.
He said: “Prof. Busia was unequivocal that democracy cannot endure if leaders and the people are not committed to it, do not understand it, or are not sincere to its principles.”
He believed that democracy could and must work in the country, and it was for this reason that he, along with others, literally risked their lives to ensure the nation’s freedom.
THE PROF
The audiobook launched yesterday is titled The Prof; a Heart of Faith – from Poor Boy to Prime Minister. It contains half a century of letters between Prof. K. A. Busia and the revered William Whittle, compiled and edited by Akosua Busia, his daughter.
On his Christian life, the book captures a sermon Prof. Busia once gave which was played back at the launch. A cathedral is under construction by the Busia Foundation International in Wenchi, Bono Region.
In attendance were former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Evangelist Dag Heward-Mills, founder of Lighthouse Chapel International (LCI),Abena P.A Busia, Ghana’s Ambassador to Brazil amongst others.
